IND vs ENG 2021: Sam Curran and England begin preparations for the upcoming Test series

The England Cricket Team have kicked off their preparations at Trent Bridge, which is the venue for the first Test against India. All-rounder Sam Curran offered fans a glimpse of the hosts' practice session by sharing a picture on his official Instagram handle. We can see the England Test contingent having a net session and drills on the ground. Sam Curran captioned the post:

Test match prep (National flags of England and India )

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England will miss the services of Ben Stokes in the upcoming series as he opted to take an indefinite break from cricket to concentrate on his mental health. Craig Overton has replaced Stokes in the Test squad. England's team management will look at young all-rounder Sam Curran in the hope of filling the massive void created by Stokes' absence in their playing XI.

Sam Curran is already a proven performer in Test cricket. He was also India's arch-nemesis during their previous tour in 2018. Curran single-handedly took the game to India on multiple occasions with his aggressive knocks in the lower order.

Across four Test matches, Curran scored 272 runs at an average of 38.86, including two fifties. In the bowling department, the England star picked up 11 wickets at an average of 23.55, with 4/74 being his best figures.

England vs India 2018 :Sam Curran single handedly rescued the English side from hard situation by batting with tail-enders and helped with his amazing bowling skills in the first test match at Edgbaston.Bowling figures : 4/74 in first innings pic.twitter.com/U8iORyWMMA

— Ayãn࿐💞 (@wayward_ayan) June 2, 2021

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The first Test between India and England will begin on August 4 at the Trent Bridge

After training for two weeks in Durham, the Indian team also reached Nottingham yesterday to fine-tune their preparations by having a couple of practice sessions at Trent Bridge. Team India have good memories of playing in Nottingham as they secured a win here during their previous tour of England in 2018.

Schedule for the series:

1st Test: August (4-8) | Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham | Start time - 03:30 PM (IST)

2nd Test: August (12-16) | Venue: Lord's, London | Start time - 03:30 PM (IST)

3rd Test: August (25-29) | Venue: Headingley, Leeds | Start time - 03:30 PM (IST)

4th Test: September (2-6) | Venue: Kennington Oval, London | Start time - 03:30 PM (IST)

5th Test: September (10-14) | Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester | Start time - 03:30 PM (IST)

Preparations for #ENGvIND series 👌Learning from #TeamIndia seniors 👍Fond memories of 2018 England tour 👏Ahead of the England Tests, @RishabhPant17 reflects on his cricket journey & more 😎 - by @RajalArora Watch the full interview 🎥 🔽https://t.co/BKsuDS3afT pic.twitter.com/QFEVW3I69h

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 31, 2021